Mahanadi issue shouldn't be a matter of dispute: Prasad

Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad today said Odisha and Chhattisgarh should resolve the Mahanadi river water issue amicably and try to arrive at a consensus through discussion.
"It will be good if the Mahanadi river water issue is sorted out by the two states through discussion in a friendly and amicable manner. The issue should not become a matter of dispute," Prasad said.
If it is not possible to resolve the issue through dialogue, the legal process can be followed, the Law Minister told reporters on the sidelines of function in Cuttack.
Prasad said the two states should follow the necessary legal process for the formation of a tribunal to resolve the issue instead of blaming earh other.

The minister said he would find out the latest position on the issue once he is back in Delhi.
Union Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan is also from Odisha and he would also try to see that the issue is resolved, he said.

The BJD government has been demanding the formation of a water dispute tribunal to resolve the Mahanadi river water row with Chhattisgarh. BJD has lashed out at the Centre for the delay in constitution of tribunal for the purpose.
BJD spokesperson has accused the BJP-led NDA government at the centre of deliberately delaying formation constitute tribunal to enable Chhattisgarh to construct dams and barrages on the upper reaches of Mahanadi.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Friday again demanded that the Centre immediately set up a tribunal to resolve the Mahanadi water dispute with Chhattisgarh.
Patnaik wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and demanded the setting up of the tribunal. He had earlier written a letter to the prime minister on November 7 in this regard.
"I would earnestly seek your personal intervention in the matter for issuing appropriate directives for constituting the tribunal within the stipulated timeline for an early adjudication of the concerns of the people of my state," Patnaik said in the letter.